Steam & Excursion > The Sad Final End To Nevada Copper Belt 2-8-0 #2!

The Nevada Copper Belt Railroad ran for 41 miles, from Wabuska, NV to Ludwig, NV from 1909 until the line was abandoned in 1947. The railroad was dependent on copper and gypsum for cargo. The mines along the line were finally played out by 1947.

There were 2 locomotives on the roster at the end of operations. They were NCB #2 and #5, both 2-8-0's.

After the NCB was abandoned ALCO #5 would be sold to the nearby Virginia & Truckee and would serve there until the V&T was herself abandoned in 1950 and #5 scrapped.

NCB #2 was a 1910 product of the Lima Locomotive Works with 18 x 24 inch cylinders and 26,400 pounds of tractive effort. In the first view you can see her rectangular Lima Locomotive Works brass builder's plate still affixed to the remains of her smokebox!

In several of these views we see the scraped remains of #2 in 1947 at Wabuska, NV.

In the 2nd view we see what a good looking engine she was as she posed with #5 and the NCB caboose in 1946. The caboose was sold to the V&T along with #5 and fortunately still survives today.

Yup, the principal used to be O'Sullivan Plastics who did dashboard coverings, followed by Poly One
who was doing them for the Toyota plant in Fremont, followed by and empty building and then another
firm going to do plastic collision barriers for highway use that never materialized. There's still some
inbound seed and fertilizer for the Yerington area, and the Fort Churchill power plant gets back up
fuel by rail but it overall is all crap now.

Martin you need to add Gilchrist Timber to your Shevlin-Hixon and Brooks Scanlon book to round out the central Oregon Logging rail lines. Of course we know that the GT line has survived while the other two are long gone. Although I still remember going under the tracks at Indian Ford when I drove for Bend-Portland.